Congress Demands Supreme Court – Monitored Probe into Ram Temple Fund Embezzlement
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 2: The Congress has demanded a Supreme Court – monitored probe into the alleged embezzlement of the Ram Temple donation fund, even as Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati of Jyotirmath has alleged that the treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was being “shielded” in the theft case.
In a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described the Ram Temple donation theft a “Chanda Chori mega scandal” and urged him to immediately order a Supreme Court- monitored probe into the episode. He alleged that the fraud involved “hundreds of crores” and amounted to a “monumental betrayal” of the Hindu faith, religion and way of life.
Addressing reporters Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who was on a two-day visit to Bareilly and later in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh as part of his 81-day ‘Goraksha evam Dharmayuddh Yatra,’ termed the donation embezzlement a “conspiracy” and said, “The treasurer is being protected in the Ram temple donation theft case. Everyone is trying to save him.” Govind Dev Giri is the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
He questioned the composition of the temple trust, alleging that those who had fought the legal battle for the Ram temple were sidelined. “The first right over the temple’s construction belonged to senior religious leaders. The government removed prominent acharyas from the ₹13-crore trust. The Central government did not contribute even a single rupee from its own treasury,” he alleged.
Expressing similar sentiments, Mr Venugopal also questioned the credibility of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government and said it appeared to be little more than an “eyewash.” He said there was a growing apprehension that the investigation was being used to erase the remaining evidence while shielding the “big fish” behind the alleged multi-crore embezzlement.
“Lord Ram is revered as the embodiment of justice and righteousness. Allowing allegations of this nature to be buried, rather than impartially investigated, would be a profound injustice to his devotees and to the values he embodies,” Mr Venugopal said.
“I am writing to you to express the deep anguish and outrage of millions of Indians regarding the shocking revelations of massive financial fraud, theft, and embezzlement of donations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The offerings made by ordinary citizens – who contributed their hard-earned life savings out of profound faith and reverence for Lord Ram – have been shamelessly looted, striking at the very sanctity of a place held sacred by millions,” he said.
Alleging that the preliminary investigation had exposed a highly organised racket operating “right under the nose” of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, Mr Venugopal said the “systemic lapses at every level” suggested that the alleged loot had been enabled by institutional support.
“On one hand, the counting staff bypassed regular surveillance to siphon off bundles of cash and valuable jewellery on a daily basis; on the other, 7 to 8 months of crucial CCTV footage was deliberately destroyed to cover the tracks of this criminal enterprise. This clearly indicates that this loot goes beyond the work of a few rogue employees, and is a scam orchestrated with the complicity of the higher-ups instead,” he alleged.
Mr Venugopal also claimed that earlier complaints of embezzlement and theft were either ignored or actively suppressed. “Simultaneously, we are learning that complaints of embezzlement and theft were either ignored or actively suppressed. The Trust’s former Chief Accounts Officer, who flagged these systematic irregularities as early as 2020-21 and warned that unaccounted gold and silver ornaments were being spirited away, was unceremoniously removed from his duties instead of being heard,” he said.
Questioning the present investigation, the Congress leader said, so far only the ‘small fish’ – drivers, clerks, and outsourced cashiers – have been arrested, while the institutional support and chain of command that enabled the brazen loot remain untouched. “A state-appointed SIT is neither equipped nor institutionally independent to investigate individuals wielding immense political and institutional influence,” he said.
Mr Venugopal said the “scandal” warranted highest level of accountability because the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust was a public trust constituted by the Government of India in 2020. “Its very creation took place under the direct supervision of the Government, and the land was vested in the Trust pursuant to the Supreme Court’s judgment,” he said, adding, “It is, therefore, the moral responsibility of the Government – and of you, as its head – to restore the faith of over 1.4 billion Indians in the Government’s intent and ability to safeguard donations and preserve the sanctity of an institution established in the name of Lord Ram.”
“Therefore, I strongly demand your immediate intervention in this matter to order a free and fair investigation by a high-level independent agency under the strict supervision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” Mr Venugopal said.
Sharing the letter on X, the Congress leader said the “massive Chanda Chori” at the Ayodhya Ram Temple had shaken the nation. “This is way beyond an ordinary loot, it strikes at the heart of how faith is corrupted – first for political gain, and then for financial enrichment. I have written to the PM demanding an immediate Supreme Court-monitored investigation into this Chanda Chori mega scandal,” he said.
The alleged embezzlement came to light after an SIT constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government submitted its preliminary findings, following which an FIR was registered on June 25. Eight accused were subsequently arrested, and the police said nearly ₹80 lakh in cash, besides some foreign currency, had been recovered so far from six of them. The investigation is continuing.
The Ayodhya police, meanwhile, have conducted fresh raids as part of their investigation into the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple. An extensive search was carried out at the residence of the accused Lavkush Mishra and a sum of ₹20 lakh was recovered from Avinash Shukla.
The police are now focussing on the assets of the 8 arrested accused after authorities uncovered a major real estate purchase by one of the prime suspects, Mishra. The land parcel acquired by him was valued at Rs 23 lakhs in the Sahadatganj area of Ayodhya.
The controversy came to light on June 7 after Samajwadi Party leader Tej Narayan ‘Pawan’ Pandey alleged donations worth ₹5 crore to ₹7.5 crore were siphoned off from temple offerings. As the police seek to figure out the accused’s roles and the loopholes they used for the embezzlement, they have already recovered ₹79.85 lakh in cash from seven of the eight suspects.
The arrested accused include Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’, Manish Yadav, Subhash Srivastava, Avinash Shukla, Rama Shankar Mishra, and Karunesh Pandey. According to police officers, the cash recoveries made from the accused so far include:
📌Around ₹20.40 lakh from Avinash Shukla
📌 ₹18.07 lakh from Karunesh Pandey
📌 ₹16.82 lakh from Anukalp Mishra
📌 ₹14.25 lakh from Lavkush Mishra
📌 ₹7.32 lakh from Rama Shankar Mishra
📌 ₹2 lakh from Manish Yadav
📌 ₹1 lakh from Ram Shankar Yadav ‘Tinnu’
No recovery was shown from the house of the eighth accused, Subhash Srivastava. For the amount recovered from properties linked to Avinash Shukla ₹12 lakh was found from Shukla’s room and around ₹8.4 lakh was returned by his brother to the Trust last week.
Foreign currency of $900-$1000 was also shown to have been recovered from Avinash Shukla, according to an investigating officer. Among those arrested, Anukalp Mishra and Lavkush Mishra are related to each other, and also to trust member Anil Mishra, who resigned last week. Ram Shankar Yadav – an aide of trust general secretary Champat Rai – and Manish Yadav are related. Rai too resigned last week.
Sources said six of the eight arrested accused were employed by a security agency in Varanasi which provided manpower for the cash-counting process at Ayodhya temple. The agency, Sainik Security Services, was incorporated in its present form with an address registered in Varanasi and a paid-up capital of ₹1 lakh in December 2017, according to the ministry of corporate affairs database.
The security firm was hired by the State Bank of India (SBI), Naya Ghat Branch, for cash counting. Gaurav Singh, the owner and director of Sainik Security Services, said the branch recommended 19 names for the cash-counting team.
The agency has denied any role in the alleged siphoning of funds, with the owner saying that the firm recruited 22 personnel and sent them to the SBI’s Ayodhya branch for housekeeping work. Gaurav said the agency thereafter had no role in assigning their duties. “We were engaged only to provide housekeeping staff to the SBI branch in Ayodhya. What duties these employees eventually performed and why they performed them is for the bank to explain,” the owner said.
